U.S. patent application number 17/461254 was filed with the patent office on 2022-03-03 for vehicle with automatic report function.
The applicant listed for this patent is SUBARU CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Isamu NAGASAWA.
Application Number | 20220070645 17/461254 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-03-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220070645 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
NAGASAWA; Isamu |
March 3, 2022 |
VEHICLE WITH AUTOMATIC REPORT FUNCTION
Abstract
A vehicle with an automatic report function includes a first
communication apparatus and a controller. The first communication
apparatus is configured to transmit emergency information at an
emergency of the vehicle to a server apparatus for requesting
emergency dispatch. The controller is configured to cause the first
communication apparatus to automatically transmit the emergency
information at the emergency of the vehicle to the server
apparatus. At the transmission of the emergency information, the
controller causes the first communication apparatus to transmit, to
the server apparatus, contact information of a mobile terminal of
an occupant of the vehicle.
Inventors: |
NAGASAWA; Isamu; (Tokyo,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SUBARU CORPORATION |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Appl. No.: |
17/461254 |
Filed: |
August 30, 2021 |
International
Class: |
H04W 4/90 20060101
H04W004/90; H04W 4/44 20060101 H04W004/44 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 31, 2020 |
JP |
2020-145306 |
Claims
1. A vehicle with an automatic report function, the vehicle
comprising: a first communication apparatus configured to transmit
emergency information at an emergency of the vehicle to a server
apparatus for requesting emergency dispatch; and a controller
configured to cause the first communication apparatus to
automatically transmit the emergency information at the emergency
of the vehicle to the server apparatus, wherein, at the
transmission of the emergency information, the controller causes
the first communication apparatus to transmit, to the server
apparatus, contact information of a mobile terminal of an occupant
of the vehicle.
2. The vehicle with an automatic report function according to claim
1, the vehicle further comprising: a second communication apparatus
provided in the vehicle independently of the first communication
apparatus, the second communication apparatus being configured to
authenticate and communicate with a mobile terminal that is present
in the vehicle, wherein the controller causes the first
communication apparatus to transmit, to the server apparatus,
contact information of the mobile terminal that is authenticated by
the second communication apparatus.
3. The vehicle with an automatic report function according to claim
2, wherein the controller checks whether the mobile terminal the
authentication information of which is registered in the second
communication apparatus is capable of communicating with the second
communication apparatus after the emergency of the vehicle has
occurred, and causes the first communication apparatus to transmit,
to the server apparatus, contact information of the mobile terminal
checked to be capable of communicating with the second
communication apparatus.
4. The vehicle with an automatic report function according to claim
2, wherein, at the transmission of the emergency information, the
controller causes the first communication apparatus to transmit, to
the server apparatus, contact information pieces of respective
mobile terminals of respective occupants of the vehicle, and
wherein the controller sequentially communicates with the
respective mobile terminals of the respective occupants of the
vehicle and causes the first communication apparatus to transmit,
to the server apparatus, results of answers to the
communication.
5. The vehicle with an automatic report function according to claim
3, wherein, at the transmission of the emergency information, the
controller causes the first communication apparatus to transmit, to
the server apparatus, contact information pieces of respective
mobile terminals of respective occupants of the vehicle, and
wherein the controller sequentially communicates with the
respective mobile terminals of the respective occupants of the
vehicle and causes the first communication apparatus to transmit,
to the server apparatus, results of answers to the
communication.
6. The vehicle with an automatic report function according to claim
1, wherein, at the transmission of the emergency information, the
controller causes the first communication apparatus to transmit, to
the server apparatus, contact information pieces of respective
mobile terminals of respective occupants of the vehicle, and
wherein, in a case where the respective mobile terminals of the
respective occupants in the vehicle are registered, the controller
estimates an order of an injury possibility of the respective
occupants, and sequentially communicates with the respective mobile
terminals of the respective occupants in the determined order of
the injury possibility.
7. The vehicle with an automatic report function according to claim
2, wherein, at the transmission of the emergency information, the
controller causes the first communication apparatus to transmit, to
the server apparatus, contact information pieces of respective
mobile terminals of respective occupants of the vehicle, and
wherein, in a case where the respective mobile terminals of the
respective occupants in the vehicle are registered, the controller
estimates an order of an injury possibility of the respective
occupants, and sequentially communicates with the respective mobile
terminals of the respective occupants in the determined order of
the injury possibility.
8. The vehicle with an automatic report function according to claim
3, wherein, at the transmission of the emergency information, the
controller causes the first communication apparatus to transmit, to
the server apparatus, contact information pieces of respective
mobile terminals of respective occupants of the vehicle, and
wherein, in a case where the respective mobile terminals of the
respective occupants in the vehicle are registered, the controller
estimates an order of an injury possibility of the respective
occupants, and sequentially communicates with the respective mobile
terminals of the respective occupants in the determined order of
the injury possibility.
9. The vehicle with an automatic report function according to claim
4, wherein, in a case where the respective mobile terminals of the
respective occupants in the vehicle are registered, the controller
estimates an order of an injury possibility of the respective
occupants, and sequentially communicates with the respective mobile
terminals of the respective occupants in the determined order of
the injury possibility.
10. The vehicle with an automatic report function according to
claim 5, wherein, in a case where the respective mobile terminals
of the respective occupants in the vehicle are registered, the
controller estimates an order of an injury possibility of the
respective occupants, and sequentially communicates with the
respective mobile terminals of the respective occupants in the
determined order of the injury possibility.
11. A vehicle with an automatic report function, the vehicle
comprising: a first communication apparatus configured to transmit
emergency information at an emergency of the vehicle to a server
apparatus for requesting emergency dispatch; and circuitry
configured to cause the first communication apparatus to
automatically transmit the emergency information at the emergency
of the vehicle to the server apparatus, the emergency information
comprising contact information of a mobile terminal of an occupant
of the vehicle.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority from Japanese Patent
Application No. 2020-145306 filed on Aug. 31, 2020, the entire
contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The disclosure relates to a vehicle with an automatic report
function.
[0003] If an accident occurs for a vehicle such as an automobile,
the accident that has occurred may be reported urgently. For
example, an automatic emergency report system is put into practical
use for automobiles. With the automatic emergency report system, an
automobile involved in an accident transmits accident information
to a server apparatus at a call center by using an automatic report
apparatus provided in the automobile. The accident information
includes an operation state and the location of an occupant
protection apparatus at the time of the accident and the input
direction and strength of impact in the accident (Japanese
Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-216588). At the
call center, the server apparatus receives the accident
information, and the accident information is checked to request the
dispatch of a rescue team with an air ambulance or ambulance. This
can shorten a lead time before the air ambulance or ambulance is
dispatched. Thus, the possibility of saving victims of the accident
is increased.
SUMMARY
[0004] An aspect of the disclosure provides a vehicle with an
automatic report function. The vehicle includes a first
communication apparatus and a controller. The first communication
apparatus is configured to transmit emergency information at an
emergency of the vehicle to a server apparatus for requesting
emergency dispatch. The controller is configured to cause the first
communication apparatus to automatically transmit the emergency
information at the emergency of the vehicle to the server
apparatus. At the transmission of the emergency information, the
controller causes the first communication apparatus to transmit, to
the server apparatus, contact information of a mobile terminal of
an occupant of the vehicle.
[0005] An aspect of the disclosure provides a vehicle with an
automatic report function. The vehicle includes a first
communication apparatus and circuitry. The first communication
apparatus is configured to transmit emergency information at an
emergency of the vehicle to a server apparatus for requesting
emergency dispatch. The circuitry is configured to cause the first
communication apparatus to automatically transmit the emergency
information at the emergency of the vehicle to the server
apparatus, the emergency information comprising contact information
of a mobile terminal of an occupant of the vehicle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further
understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate
embodiments and, together with the specification, serve to explain
the principles of the disclosure.
[0007] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of
an automatic emergency report system according to a first
embodiment of the disclosure;
[0008] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a control system of an
automobile for which an emergency, such as an accident, may occur
in FIG. 1, the control system being capable of serving as an
automatic report apparatus;
[0009] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a server apparatus used
at a call center in FIG. 1;
[0010] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a client terminal used
by a rescue team in FIG. 1;
[0011] FIG. 5 is a sequence chart illustrating a process flow of
the automatic emergency report system in FIG. 1 in a case where the
automobile involved in an accident directly transmits an automatic
emergency report to the server apparatus; and
[0012] FIG. 6 is a sequence chart illustrating a flow of terminal
information collecting processing in step ST14 in FIG. 5 in the
automatic emergency report system according to a second embodiment
of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Even if an automobile involved in an accident transmits
accident information about the accident of the automobile, the
information may be insufficient for rescue in some cases.
[0014] For example, an occupant's injury state due to the accident
may be worse than usual.
[0015] In addition, in some cases, the rescue of the occupant for
the accident of the automobile may be untypical. In a head-on
collision, shift of the input position to the left or right changes
protection of the automobile for the impact.
[0016] Thus, a call center that manages a server apparatus may call
the automobile involved in the accident and directly check the
state of the occupant of the automobile by telephone or the like.
On the basis of the telephone call state or the presence or absence
of an answer, a staff member at the call center can grasp the state
of the occupant.
[0017] On the other hand, the occupant of the automobile involved
in the accident may be in a situation to evacuate immediately from
the automobile immediately after the accident. If vehicle fire may
occur due to the accident, the occupant is to get out of the
automobile immediately and evacuate to be away from the automobile.
Even if a staff member at the call center calls the automobile
involved in the accident, they are unable to correctly grasp the
state of such an occupant who has evacuated.
[0018] It is desirable to provide an automatic emergency report
system for vehicles, the automatic emergency report system being
improved for occupant rescue.
[0019] In the following, some embodiments of the disclosure are
described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Note that the following description is directed to illustrative
examples of the disclosure and not to be construed as limiting to
the disclosure. Factors including, without limitation, numerical
values, shapes, materials, components, positions of the components,
and how the components are coupled to each other are illustrative
only and not to be construed as limiting to the disclosure.
Further, elements in the following example embodiments which are
not recited in a most-generic independent claim of the disclosure
are optional and may be provided on an as-needed basis. The
drawings are schematic and are not intended to be drawn to scale.
Throughout the present specification and the drawings, elements
having substantially the same function and configuration are
denoted with the same numerals to avoid any redundant
description.
First Embodiment
[0020] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of
an automatic emergency report system 1 according to a first
embodiment of the disclosure.
[0021] The automatic emergency report system 1 in FIG. 1 includes a
server apparatus 2, a client terminal 3, an automatic report
apparatus 4, and a wireless communication network 5. The server
apparatus 2 is used at a call center of an organization that
manages accidents on roads caused by automobiles 10 and the like.
The client terminal 3 is used by a rescue team such as
firefighters. The automatic report apparatus 4 is provided in each
of the plurality of automobiles 10. The wireless communication
network 5 provides a communication line to the server apparatus 2,
the client terminal 3, and the automatic report apparatus 4. The
wireless communication network 5 includes a plurality of base
stations 6 and a communication network 7. The base stations 6 are
provided in an area in a dispersed manner along roads, for example,
to communicate with a wireless terminal such as the automatic
report apparatus 4. The communication network 7 connects the base
stations 6. Each of the base stations 6 functions as an access
point to which a plurality of wireless terminals in a communicable
zone are connected. To the communication network 7 in FIG. 1, the
server apparatus 2 at the call center and the client terminal 3 of
the rescue team are connected.
[0022] An example of the above automatic emergency report system
used when an accident occurs is an advanced automatic collision
notification (AACN) system. In the AACN system, automatic accident
information is immediately transmitted from an automobile 10 that
is involved in the accident to the server apparatus 2 at the call
center, and, in response to a dispatch request from the call
center, a rescue team is dispatched with an ambulance 11 or an air
ambulance. The call center can select the rescue team corresponding
to the situation of the accident to make a dispatch request. The
ambulance 11 or air ambulance can be dispatched for the accident
site with the situation of the accident grasped. This can
immediately provide victims of the accident with an appropriate
lifesaving treatment in a short lead time. Thus, the possibility of
saving victims of the accident is increased.
[0023] Note that FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the automatic
emergency report system 1 used by a plurality of organizations in
cooperation. However, the automatic emergency report system 1 may
also be used by an organization alone that manages an area
including roads on which the automobile 10 and the like can pass.
Examples of the organization include the police, a fire department,
a government office, a hospital, a medical institution, a security
company, and a management company.
[0024] FIG. 1 further illustrates a global navigation satellite
system (GNSS) satellite 110. Each of the apparatuses in FIG. 1 may
receive radio waves including location information such as latitude
and longitude and time information of a plurality of GNSS
satellites 110 so as to obtain the location of the corresponding
apparatus and the time. Furthermore, since the plurality of GNSS
satellites 110 cooperate with each other, the plurality of
apparatuses receiving radio waves therefrom may make the current
time and the like match each other with high accuracy. The
plurality of apparatuses can use a common time.
[0025] Even if the automobile 10 involved in the accident transmits
accident information about the accident of the automobile 10 as
described above, the information may be insufficient for rescue in
some cases.
[0026] For example, an occupant's injury state due to the accident
may be worse than the injury state that may be usually estimated
from the state of the accident of the automobile 10.
[0027] In addition, in some cases, the rescue of the occupant for
the accident of the automobile 10 may be untypical. In a head-on
collision, a slight shift of the input position from the center of
the automobile 10 to the left or right changes a response of the
automobile 10 to the impact or the degree of protection of the
occupant.
[0028] Thus, a call center that manages the server apparatus 2 may
call the occupant of the automobile 10 involved in the accident and
directly check the state of the occupant of the automobile 10 by
telephone or the like. On the basis of the telephone call state or
the presence or absence of an answer, a staff member at the call
center can grasp the state of the occupant.
[0029] On the other hand, the occupant of the automobile 10
involved in the accident may be in a situation to evacuate
immediately from the automobile 10 immediately after the accident.
If fire may occur in the automobile 10 due to the accident, the
occupant is to get out of the automobile 10 immediately and
evacuate to be away from the automobile 10. At this time, if the
call center calls a mobile terminal 121 before the occupant starts
evacuating, the occupant can recognize the presence of their mobile
terminal 121 before being away from the automobile 10 or recognize
the location of the mobile terminal 121 that has been lost due to
the impact of the accident, and the occupant can carry the mobile
terminal 121 to the outside of the automobile 10 surely. Thus, even
if the state of the occupant is not acquirable via the automobile
10, the call center can continue to acquire the information via the
mobile terminal 121.
[0030] With this embodiment, it is possible to more correctly grasp
the degree of the injury of the occupant due to the accident on the
basis of their answer to the call from the call center, to prevent
the occupant from leaving the mobile terminal 121 in the automobile
10 when evacuating from the automobile 10, and to allow the call
center to acquire information even after the occupant has evacuated
from the automobile 10.
[0031] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a control system 20 of
the automobile 10 for which an emergency, such as an accident, may
occur in FIG. 1. The control system 20 is capable of serving as the
automatic report apparatus 4.
[0032] In the control system 20 of the automobile 10 in FIG. 2, as
a representative of each of a plurality of control apparatuses, a
control electronic control unit (ECU) that is incorporated in a
corresponding one of the control apparatuses is illustrated. In
addition to the control ECU, the control apparatus may include, for
example, a memory for storing a control program and data, an
input/output port coupled to a control object or an apparatus that
detects the state thereof, a timer for measuring time, and an
internal bus to which the control ECU, the memory, the input/output
port, and the timer are coupled.
[0033] In one example, the control ECUs illustrated in FIG. 2 are a
driving ECU 21, a steering ECU 22, a braking ECU 23, a running
control ECU 24, a driving operation ECU 25, a detection ECU 26, an
external communication ECU 27, an internal communication ECU 28, a
user interface (UI) operation ECU 29, and an occupant protection
ECU 30. The control system 20 of the automobile 10 may include
another control ECU (not illustrated).
[0034] The plurality of control ECUs are connected to a vehicle
network 36 such as a controller area network (CAN) or a local
interconnect network (LIN) employed in the automobile 10. The
vehicle network 36 may include a plurality of bus cables 37 and a
central gateway (CGW) 38. The plurality of control ECUs may be
coupled via the bus cables 37, and the central gateway 38 serves as
a relay apparatus to which the plurality of bus cables 37 are
coupled. IDs as identification information different from each
other are allocated to the plurality of control ECUs. Basically, a
control ECU periodically outputs data to another control ECU. The
data includes the ID of a control ECU from which the data is output
and the ID of a control ECU to which the data is output. The other
control ECU monitors the bus cables 37, and, if, for example, data
includes the ID of the other control ECU as the ID of a control ECU
to which the data is output, the other control ECU acquires the
data and performs processing based on the data. The central gateway
38 monitors each of the plurality of bus cables 37 that are coupled
thereto. Upon detection of data that is output from a control ECU
coupled to a certain bus cable 37 to a control ECU coupled to
another bus cable 37, the central gateway 38 outputs the data to
the other bus cable 37. With such relay processing performed by the
central gateway 38, data may be input and output between the
plurality of control ECUs even if the control ECUs are coupled to
different bus cables 37.
[0035] To the UI operation ECU 29, for example, a display device
and an operation device 42 are coupled as user interface devices
for an occupant of the automobile 10. The display device 41 may be,
for example, a liquid crystal device or a video projection device.
The operation device 42 may be, for example, a touch panel, a
keyboard, or a contactless operation detection device. The display
device 41 and the operation device 42 may be installed, for
example, on an inner surface of a cabin where occupants board. The
UI operation ECU 29 acquires data from the vehicle network 36 and
causes the display device 41 to display the data. The UI operation
ECU 29 outputs an operation input on the operation device 42 to the
vehicle network 36. The UI operation ECU 29 may further perform
processing based on the operation input and may add the processing
results to the data. For example, the UI operation ECU 29 may cause
the display device 41 to display a navigation screen for setting a
destination or the like, may search for a route to the destination
selected by an operation input, and may add the route data to the
data. The route data may include attribute information such as
lanes of roads used for traveling from the current location to the
destination.
[0036] To the driving operation ECU 25, for example, a steering
wheel, a brake pedal, an accelerator pedal, a shift lever, and the
like, which are not illustrated, are coupled as operation members
for an occupant to control running of the automobile 10. In
response to an operation on an operation member, the driving
operation ECU 25 outputs data including the presence or absence of
an operation, an operation amount, and the like to the vehicle
network 36. The driving operation ECU 25 may further perform
processing based on the operation on the operation member and may
add the processing results to the data. For example, in a situation
where another moving object or a fixed object is present in the
traveling direction of the automobile 10, in response to an
operation on the accelerator pedal, the driving operation ECU 25
may determine the abnormal operation and may add the determination
results to the data.
[0037] To the detection ECU 26, as detection members for detecting
the running state of the automobile 10, for example, a speed sensor
51, a three-axis acceleration sensor 52, a stereo camera 53, an
in-vehicle camera 54, a microphone 55, a GNSS receiver 56, and the
like are coupled. The speed sensor detects the speed of the
automobile 10. The three-axis acceleration sensor 52 detects the
acceleration of the automobile 10. The stereo camera 53 captures
images of the surroundings of the automobile 10. The in-vehicle
camera 54 captures images of occupants in the cabin. The microphone
55 converts sound inside and outside the vehicle into data. The
GNSS receiver 56 locates the automobile 10. The GNSS receiver 56
receives radio waves from the plurality of GNSS satellites 110 and
obtains the latitude and longitude that are the current location of
the automobile 10 and the current time. The detection ECU 26
acquires detection information from the detection members and
outputs data including the detection information to the vehicle
network 36. The detection ECU 26 may further perform processing
based on the detection information and may add the processing
results to the data. For example, if the three-axis acceleration
sensor 52 detects an acceleration exceeding a collision detection
threshold, the detection ECU 26 may determine that a collision is
detected and may add the collision detection results to the data.
On the basis of an image captured by the stereo camera 53, the
detection ECU 26 may extract an object that is present around the
automobile 10, such as a pedestrian, another automobile 10, a
street tree, a utility pole, or a guardrail. The detection ECU 26
may also determine the type or attribute of the object, and, in
accordance with the position, size, and change of the object in the
image, may estimate the relative direction, relative distance, and
moving direction (if the object is moving) of the object. The
detection ECU 26 may also add forecast information on a collision
with another object including such estimation results to the data
and may output the forecast information to the vehicle network
36.
[0038] To the external communication ECU 27, an external
communication device 61 is coupled. The external communication
device 61 wirelessly communicates with a base station 6 that is
near the automobile 10 in the wireless communication network 5.
Under control of the external communication ECU 27, data is
transmitted to and received from the server apparatus 2 via the
wireless communication network 5 by wireless communication between
the external communication device 61 and the base station 6. The
external communication ECU 27 and the external communication device
61 form an external communication terminal 60 provided for the
automobile 10. The external communication terminal 60 is a
transmission apparatus provided for the automobile 10 and is a type
of a wireless terminal.
[0039] To the internal communication ECU 28, an internal
communication device 71 is coupled. The internal communication
device 71 performs short-range wireless communication with the
mobile terminal 121 of an occupant in the automobile 10. Under
control of the internal communication ECU 28, data is transmitted
to and received from the mobile terminal 121 of the occupant of the
automobile 10 by short-range wireless communication between the
internal communication device 71 and the mobile terminal 121 of the
occupant. The internal communication ECU 28 and the internal
communication device 71 form an internal communication terminal 70
provided in the automobile 10 independently of the external
communication terminal 60. Note that, basically, the mobile
terminal 121 may be capable of wireless communication with a base
station 6 that is nearby in the wireless communication network
5.
[0040] The communication between the internal communication
terminal 70 and the mobile terminal 121 of the occupant of the
automobile 10 may be wireless communication conforming to the
standard IEEE 802.15.1, for example. By the standard IEEE 802.15.1,
for example, at initial communication, authentication information
of the mobile terminal 121 is registered in the internal
communication terminal 70. The authentication information of the
mobile terminal 121 may be stored in a memory (not illustrated)
that is coupled to the internal communication ECU 28. In the
future, the internal communication ECU 28 automatically
authenticates the mobile terminal 121 by using the authentication
information registered in advance and establishes communication
between the internal communication terminal 70 and the mobile
terminal 121. Thus, by the occupant boarding the automobile 10, the
mobile terminal 121 of the occupant is automatically connected to
the internal communication terminal 70 and becomes capable of
communicating with the internal communication terminal 70.
[0041] The running control ECU 24 controls running of the
automobile 10. For example, the running control ECU 24 acquires
data from the external communication ECU 27, the detection ECU 26,
the driving operation ECU 25, and the like via the vehicle network
36 and autonomously drives the automobile 10 or controls manual
driving assistance for running of the automobile 10. The running
control ECU 24 generates running control data for controlling
running of the automobile 10 on the basis of the acquired data and
outputs the running control data to the driving ECU 21, the
steering ECU 22, and the braking ECU 23. The driving ECU 21, the
steering ECU 22, and the braking ECU 23 control running of the
automobile 10 on the basis of the input running control data.
[0042] To the occupant protection ECU 30, a plurality of seat belt
apparatuses, a plurality of airbag apparatuses, and an occupant
protection memory 87 are coupled. The seat belt apparatuses
include, for example, a driver-side seat belt apparatus 81 for an
occupant who drives the automobile 10 and a passenger-side seat
belt apparatus 82 for an occupant who boards the same automobile
10. The airbag apparatuses include, for example, a driver-side
front airbag apparatus 83 that is deployed in front of the occupant
who drives the automobile 10, a driver-side curtain airbag
apparatus 84 that is deployed beside the occupant who drives the
automobile 10 and along the inner surface of the automobile 10, a
passenger-side front airbag apparatus 85 that is deployed in front
of the occupant who boards the same automobile 10, and a
passenger-side curtain airbag apparatus 86 that is deployed beside
the occupant who boards the same automobile 10 and along the inner
surface of the automobile 10. The occupant protection ECU 30, the
occupant protection memory 87, the driver-side seat belt apparatus
81, the passenger-side seat belt apparatus 82, the driver-side
front airbag apparatus 83, the driver-side curtain airbag apparatus
84, the passenger-side front airbag apparatus 85, and the
passenger-side curtain airbag apparatus 86 form an occupant
protection apparatus 80.
[0043] On the basis of forecast information on a collision with
another object or information on collision detection results from
the detection ECU 26, the occupant protection ECU 30 activates or
controls the seat belt apparatuses or the airbag apparatuses.
[0044] The occupant protection memory 87 is a computer-readable
storage medium and has a program to be executed by the occupant
protection ECU 30, set values, and the like stored therein.
Information on details of control performed by the occupant
protection ECU 30 may be stored in the occupant protection memory
87. The occupant protection ECU 30 reads the program from the
occupant protection memory 87 and executes the program. Thus, the
occupant protection ECU 30 may serve as an occupant protection
controller of the automobile 10.
[0045] Upon detection of a collision, the occupant protection ECU
30 as the occupant protection controller of the automobile 10
performs occupant protection control. The occupant protection ECU
30 causes the external communication terminal 60 to automatically
transmit emergency information on an accident of the automobile 10
to the server apparatus 2 for requesting emergency dispatch. Thus,
the occupant protection ECU 30 can cause the external communication
device 61 as a first communication apparatus to transmit the
emergency information to the server apparatus 2 at an emergency of
the automobile 10.
[0046] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the server apparatus 2
used at the call center in FIG. 1.
[0047] The server apparatus 2 in FIG. 3 includes a server
communication device 91, a server memory 92, a server CPU 93, a
server GNSS receiver 94, a server monitor 95, a server call device
96, and a server bus 97 to which the server communication device
91, the server memory 92, the server CPU 93, the server GNSS
receiver 94, the server monitor 95, and the server call device 96
are coupled.
[0048] The server communication device 91 is coupled to the
communication network 7 of the wireless communication network 5.
The server communication device 91 transmits and receives data to
and from other apparatuses, for example, the external communication
terminal 60 as a wireless terminal of the automobile 10 and the
client terminal 3, via the wireless communication network 5.
[0049] The server GNSS receiver 94 receives radio waves from the
GNSS satellites 110 to obtain the current time. The server
apparatus 2 may include a server timer (not illustrated) to be
calibrated by using the current time obtained by the server GNSS
receiver 94.
[0050] The server monitor 95 displays information of the server
apparatus 2. For example, the server monitor 95 displays emergency
information received by the server apparatus 2 from the automobile
10 involved in an accident or the like.
[0051] The server call device 96 is used by a staff member at the
call center to talk with a user of the mobile terminal 121
connected by using the server communication device 91.
[0052] The server memory 92 is a computer-readable storage medium
and has a program to be executed by the server CPU 93, set values,
and the like stored therein. Information on details of control
performed by the server CPU 93 may be stored in the server memory
92. The server CPU 93 reads the program from the server memory 92
and executes the program. Thus, a server controller is implemented
in the server apparatus 2. The server CPU 93 as the server
controller manages an overall operation of the server apparatus
2.
[0053] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the client terminal 3
used by the rescue team in FIG. 1.
[0054] The client terminal 3 in FIG. 4 includes a client
communication device 101, a client memory 102, a client CPU 103, a
client notification device 104, a client GNSS receiver 105, a
client monitor 106, a client call device 107, and a client bus 108
to which the client communication device 101, the client memory
102, the client CPU 103, the client notification device 104, the
client GNSS receiver 105, the client monitor 106, and the client
call device 107 are coupled.
[0055] The client communication device 101 is coupled to the
communication network 7 of the wireless communication network 5.
The client communication device 101 transmits and receives data to
and from other apparatuses, for example, the external communication
device 61 as a wireless terminal of the automobile 10 and the
server apparatus 2, via the wireless communication network 5.
[0056] The client GNSS receiver 105 receives radio waves from the
GNSS satellites 110 to obtain the current time. The client terminal
3 may include a server timer (not illustrated) to be calibrated by
using the current time obtained by the client GNSS receiver
105.
[0057] The client monitor 106 displays information of the client
terminal 3. For example, the client monitor 106 displays a dispatch
request or the like received from the server apparatus 2.
[0058] The client notification device 104 outputs a dispatch
request sound to members of the rescue team.
[0059] The client call device 107 is used by a member of the rescue
team to talk with a user of the mobile terminal 121 connected by
using the client communication device 101.
[0060] The client memory 102 is a computer-readable storage medium
and has a program to be executed by the client CPU 103, set values,
and the like stored therein. Information on details of control
performed by the client CPU 103 may be stored in the client memory
102. The client CPU 103 reads the program from the client memory
102 and executes the program. Thus, a client controller is
implemented in the client terminal 3. The client CPU 103 as the
client controller manages an overall operation of the client
terminal 3.
[0061] FIG. 5 is a sequence chart illustrating a process flow of
the automatic emergency report system 1 in FIG. 1 in a case where
the automobile 10 involved in an accident directly transmits an
automatic emergency report to the server apparatus 2.
[0062] FIG. 5 illustrates the control system 20 as the automatic
report apparatus 4 of the automobile 10, the server apparatus 2 at
the call center, and the client terminal 3 of the rescue team. Time
flows from top to bottom.
[0063] In step ST11, the detection ECU 26 of the automobile 10
detects a collision of the automobile 10. For example, the
detection ECU 26 detects a collision if the acceleration detected
by the three-axis acceleration sensor 52 is greater than a
predetermined threshold. If no collision is detected, the detection
ECU 26 repeats the processing in step ST11. Upon the collision
being detected, the detection ECU 26 transmits collision detection
information to the occupant protection ECU and advances the
processing to step ST12. Note that the detection ECU 26 may end the
processing if no collision is detected after a lapse of a certain
period of time from the start of the processing.
[0064] Note that the detection ECU 26 may forecast that a collision
is unavoidable before detecting the collision. In addition, on the
basis of the forecast that the collision is unavoidable, the
occupant protection ECU 30 may perform preliminary control for
occupant protection before detecting the collision. As the
preliminary control, the occupant protection ECU 30 may, for
example, wind up surplus of a seat belt of a seat belt apparatus to
set a pre-tension state or perform other processing. For example,
the occupant protection ECU 30 may pre-deploy an airbag
apparatus.
[0065] In step ST12, the occupant protection ECU 30 of the
automobile 10 that has detected the collision performs occupant
protection control on the basis of the collision detection
information. The occupant protection ECU 30 activates a seat belt
apparatus and an airbag apparatus that are selected. Thus, a seated
occupant is constrained in the seat, or, even if the occupant falls
from the seat, the airbag can absorb the impact.
[0066] In this embodiment, the occupant protection ECU 30 performs
the occupant protection control after the collision has been
detected in step ST11. However, the occupant protection ECU 30 may
alternatively perform the occupant protection control on the basis
of the collision forecast before the collision detection.
[0067] In step ST13, the occupant protection ECU 30 of the
automobile 10 collects accident information. The accident
information may basically be information collected by the AACN
system described above. The AACN system collects the accident
information such as an operation state and the location of the
occupant protection apparatus 80 at the time of the accident and
the input direction and strength of the impact in the accident.
[0068] In step ST14, the internal communication ECU 28 of the
automobile 10 collects terminal information. For example, the
internal communication ECU 28 collects contact information of the
mobile terminal 121 that has been authenticated and registered in
the internal communication terminal 70.
[0069] In step ST15, the external communication ECU 27 of the
automobile 10 causes the external communication terminal 60 to
transmit, as emergency information, to the server apparatus 2, the
accident information collected by the occupant protection ECU 30
and the contact information of the mobile terminal 121 collected by
the internal communication ECU 28. Thus, the automobile 10
automatically reports the emergency information about an emergency
due to the accident.
[0070] Note that the accident information and the contact
information of the mobile terminal 121 may also be collected by the
external communication ECU 27.
[0071] In addition, the accident information may also be
information about the state of the occupant after the accident, for
example, a video of the inside of the automobile 10 after the
accident.
[0072] In step ST16, the server communication device 91 of the
server apparatus 2 at the call center receives the information of
the automatic report from the automobile 10 involved in the
accident. The information of the automatic report received by the
server communication device 91 may be stored in the server memory
92.
[0073] In step ST17, the server CPU 93 of the server apparatus 2 at
the call center causes the server monitor 95 to display the
information of the automatic report received by the server
communication device 91. On the basis of the accident information
displayed on the server monitor 95, a staff member at the call
center can check the situation of the accident of the automobile
10.
[0074] In step ST18, the server CPU 93 of the server apparatus 2 at
the call center calls the occupant of the automobile 10 involved in
the accident. For example, by using the server communication device
91, the server CPU 93 communicates with a communication terminal of
the automobile 10 and establishes a call line. In step ST19, the
occupant protection ECU 30 of the automobile 10 answers a voice
call. The occupant protection ECU 30 causes a speaker (not
illustrated) to output voice from the server apparatus 2 and causes
the microphone 55 to collect voice inside the automobile 10 and to
transmit the voice to the server apparatus 2. Thus, the staff
member at the call center can talk with the occupant left in the
automobile 10 after the accident by voice and grasp a state such as
the degree of the injury of the occupant.
[0075] If the communication terminal of the automobile 10 does not
answer, the server CPU 93 calls the mobile terminal 121 on the
basis of a contact list received from the automobile 10 involved in
the accident. The mobile terminal 121 answers the voice call. Thus,
the staff member at the call center can talk with the occupant left
in the automobile 10 after the accident by voice and grasp a state
such as the degree of the injury of the occupant.
[0076] In addition, in a case where the occupant is to evacuate
from the automobile 10, if the call center makes a telephone call
before the occupant starts evacuating, the occupant can recognize
the presence of their mobile terminal 121 before being away from
the automobile 10 or recognize the location of the mobile terminal
121 that has been lost due to the impact of the accident, and the
occupant can carry the mobile terminal 121 to the outside of the
automobile 10 surely. Thus, even if the state of the occupant after
the collision is not acquirable via the automobile 10 because the
occupant has evacuated from the automobile 10, the call center can
continue to acquire the information via the mobile terminal
121.
[0077] If no answer is obtained in either case, the server CPU 93
ends the processing. The staff member at the call center may input
the check results to the server apparatus 2.
[0078] Through such processing, the server CPU 93 as a server
controller can acquire the state such as the degree of the injury
of the occupant who is the user of the mobile terminal 121 by using
the contact information of the mobile terminal 121 of the occupant
of the automobile 10, the contact information being included in the
emergency information.
[0079] In step ST20, the server CPU 93 of the server apparatus 2 at
the call center estimates the situation. The server CPU 93 may
estimate the situation on the basis of the information of the
automatic report received by the server communication device 91 and
the information input by the staff member at the call center. The
server CPU 93 may collate with previous accident information and
may estimate the situation by artificial intelligence processing.
The staff member at the call center may alternatively estimate the
situation by comprehensively considering the situation and may
input the estimation results to the server apparatus 2.
[0080] In step ST21, the server CPU 93 of the server apparatus 2 at
the call center prepares the dispatch. The server CPU 93 transmits
a dispatch request to the client terminal 3 of the rescue team by
using the server communication device 91. The server CPU 93 may
transmit the dispatch request in response to an operation performed
by the staff member at the call center.
[0081] In step ST22, the client communication device 101 of the
client terminal 3 of the rescue team receives the dispatch request
from the server apparatus 2. The dispatch request received by the
client communication device 101 may be stored in the client memory
102.
[0082] In step ST23, the client CPU 103 of the client terminal 3 of
the rescue team makes a notification of the dispatch request. Upon
the client communication device 101 receiving the dispatch request,
the client CPU 103 causes the client notification device 104 to
output a dispatch request sound. The client CPU 103 may also cause
the client monitor 106 to display a dispatch request screen. The
dispatch request screen may display the information of the
automatic report and the information input by the staff member at
the call center.
[0083] In step ST24, members of the rescue team are dispatched. The
members of the rescue team can grasp that the dispatch request is
made for the team from the dispatch request sound and the dispatch
request screen and can be dispatched urgently with the ambulance 11
or air ambulance.
[0084] As described above, in this embodiment, the emergency
information is automatically transmitted from the external
communication device 61 as a first communication apparatus to the
server apparatus 2 at an emergency of the automobile 10. The
emergency information includes, together with the accident
information about the accident of the automobile 10, the contact
information of the mobile terminal 121 of the occupant of the
automobile 10, such as a telephone number or a short message
service (SMS) account. Thus, the staff member or the like at the
call center can contact, not the automobile 10, but the occupant of
the automobile 10 involved in the accident, on the basis of the
contact information of the mobile terminal 121 of the occupant, the
contact information being included in the emergency information
received by the server apparatus 2. The staff member or the like at
the call center can estimate the safety, injury state, or the like
of the occupant who has evacuated from the automobile 10 to the
outside. In addition, the staff member or the like at the call
center can estimate that an occupant who does not answer the
contact is likely to be injured seriously.
Second Embodiment
[0085] Next, the automatic emergency report system 1 according to a
second embodiment of the disclosure will be described. In this
embodiment, components that are substantially the same as those of
the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference
numerals as those of the above-described embodiment, and
description thereof is omitted. In the following description,
differences from the above-described embodiment will mainly be
described.
[0086] FIG. 6 is a sequence chart illustrating a flow of terminal
information collecting processing in step ST14 in FIG. 5 in the
automatic emergency report system 1 according to the second
embodiment of the disclosure.
[0087] The automobile 10 performs the processing in FIG. 6 in order
to transmit emergency information at the time of an accident.
[0088] In step ST1, the internal communication ECU 28 of the
internal communication terminal 70 acquires information of mobile
terminals 121 from the internal communication device 71. In the
internal communication terminal 70, typically, at least
authentication information of the mobile terminals 121 of occupants
who usually board the automobile 10 is registered. These occupants
are likely to be in the automobile 10 at the time the above
emergency occurs. Basically, the internal communication ECU 28 may
acquire the information of such authenticated mobile terminals 121
from the internal communication terminal 70.
[0089] Herein, on the basis of an image captured by the in-vehicle
camera 54, the internal communication ECU 28 may identify the
plurality of occupants who are in the automobile 10 before a
collision, which is, during running, or after a collision and may
acquire the information of the mobile terminals 121 of the
identified occupants alone. Note that information of as many mobile
terminals 121 as possible, which are not authenticated at the time
but are recognized on the basis of detection of radio waves, may be
included by the internal communication terminal 70. Thus, the
information of the mobile terminals 121 acquired by the internal
communication ECU 28 appropriately corresponds to the occupants who
are in the automobile 10 at the time of the collision. It is
unlikely that the information of the mobile terminals 121 acquired
by the internal communication ECU 28 additionally include
information of mobile terminals 121 of persons who are not in the
automobile 10.
[0090] In step ST2, on the basis of an image captured by the
in-vehicle camera 54, the detection ECU 26 determines seated
positions of the plurality of occupants who are in the automobile
10 before the collision, which is during running, or after the
collision and estimates the order of the injury possibility of the
plurality of occupants. In a case of the accident of the automobile
10, not all the occupants who are in the automobile 10 are injured
in the same manner. Thus, for example, the detection ECU 26 may
estimate the degree of the injury of the plurality of occupants on
the basis of the order of the distance from the input part of the
collision to the seated position of each occupant. In this case, an
occupant whose seated position is the closest to the input part of
the collision is estimated to be more likely to be injured than
other occupants whose seated positions are farther. Alternatively,
for example, the detection ECU 26 may estimate the degree of the
injury of the plurality of occupants on the basis of the input part
and strength of the collision in the automobile 10 and the
operation state of the occupant protection apparatus 80. In this
case, an occupant for whom the occupant protection apparatus 80 is
estimated to have acted effectively in response to the input is
estimated to be less likely to be injured than an occupant for whom
the occupant protection apparatus 80 is estimated to have acted
less effectively. On the basis of the collision situation, the
activation situation of the protection apparatus, and the seated
positions, the detection ECU 26 estimates the order of the injury
possibility of the plurality of occupants.
[0091] In step ST3, for test communication with the mobile
terminals 121, the occupant protection ECU 30 selects one of the
plurality of mobile terminals 121 on the basis of information of
the mobile terminals 121 acquired in step ST1. The occupant
protection ECU 30 selects one of the mobile terminals 121 for which
test communication is not performed. When initially performing the
processing in step ST3, for example, the occupant protection ECU 30
may sort the information of the plurality of mobile terminals 121
acquired in step ST1 in the descending order of the injury
possibility estimated in step ST2, and may first select the first
mobile terminal 121 in a sorted terminal list.
[0092] In step ST4, the internal communication ECU 28 performs test
communication with the selected mobile terminal 121 by using the
internal communication terminal 70. For example, the internal
communication terminal 70 calls the mobile terminal 121 to ring the
ringtone. An occupant who is the user of the mobile terminal 121
can answer the call on the mobile terminal 121 if they are
conscious. On the basis of whether a call is possible in the test
communication or whether the test communication is answered, the
internal communication ECU 28 can briefly determine the degree of
the injury of the occupant who is the user of the mobile terminal
121. Thus, when transmitting the emergency information, the
internal communication ECU 28 can check whether the mobile terminal
121 whose authentication information is registered in the internal
communication terminal 70 as a second communication apparatus is
capable of communicating with the internal communication terminal
70 after the emergency of the automobile 10 has occurred.
[0093] In step ST5, the internal communication ECU 28 determine
whether test communication has ended for all the mobile terminals
121. If the test communication for all the mobile terminals 121 has
not ended, the internal communication ECU 28 returns the processing
to step ST3. The internal communication ECU 28 repeats the
processing from step ST3 to step ST5 to newly select a mobile
terminal 121 for which test communication is not performed, and
performs the test communication. The internal communication ECU 28
repeats the processing from step ST3 to step ST5 until test
communication for all the mobile terminals 121 ends to perform the
test communication for all the mobile terminals 121. Upon ending of
the test communication for all the mobile terminals 121, the
internal communication ECU 28 advances the processing to step
ST6.
[0094] In step ST6, on the basis of information collected through
the above processing, the external communication ECU 27 generates
terminal information to be transmitted to the server apparatus 2.
For example, as the terminal information, the external
communication ECU 27 generates list information of mobile terminals
121 of the occupants of the automobile 10 at the time of the
accident. In the list information, information of the plurality of
mobile terminals 121 may be sorted in the descending order of the
injury possibility of the occupants. The information of each of the
mobile terminals 121 may include, for example, contact information
of the mobile terminal 121, such as a telephone number or an SMS
account, information on details of the estimated injury possibility
or the degree of the estimated injury, and information on whether
the test communication is answered. Thus, the terminal information
to be transmitted to the server apparatus 2 includes the contact
information of the mobile terminal 121 for which the occupant is
checked to be able to communicate.
[0095] As described above, in this embodiment, the emergency
information is automatically transmitted from the external
communication device 61 as a first communication apparatus to the
server apparatus 2 at an emergency of the automobile 10. The
emergency information includes, together with the accident
information about the accident of the automobile 10, the contact
information of the mobile terminal 121 of the occupant of the
automobile 10, such as a telephone number or an SMS account. Thus,
the staff member or the like at the call center can estimate the
degree of the injury of the occupant of the automobile 10 before
contacting, not the automobile 10, but the occupant of the
automobile 10 involved in the accident, on the basis of the contact
information of the mobile terminal 121 of the occupant, the contact
information being included in the emergency information received by
the server apparatus 2. The staff member or the like at the call
center can estimate the safety, injury state, or the like of the
occupant who has evacuated from the automobile 10 to the outside.
In addition, the staff member or the like at the call center can
estimate that an occupant who does not answer the contact is likely
to be injured seriously.
[0096] Furthermore, in this embodiment, on the basis of whether a
call is possible in the test communication or whether the test
communication is answered, the internal communication ECU 28 can
briefly determine, for example, the degree of the injury of the
occupant who is the user of the mobile terminal 121, and thus, the
staff member or the like at the call center can grasp the
determination on the basis of the emergency information from the
external communication terminal 60 before directly contacting the
occupant by using the mobile terminal 121 of the occupant.
[0097] Furthermore, in a case where the occupant is to evacuate
from the automobile 10 before the staff member or the like at the
call center calls the mobile terminal 121 of the occupant, if the
internal communication ECU 28 makes a test communication call
before the occupant starts evacuating, the occupant can recognize
the presence of their mobile terminal 121 before being away from
the automobile 10 or recognize the location of the mobile terminal
121 that has been lost due to the impact of the accident, and the
occupant can carry the mobile terminal 121 to the outside of the
automobile 10 surely.
[0098] The above-described embodiments are examples of embodiments
of the disclosure, and the disclosure is not limited thereto.
Various modifications or changes may be made without departing from
the gist of the disclosure.
[0099] In the embodiments described above, the plurality of ECUs
are present in a separated manner in the automobile 10, but some or
all of the ECUs may be integrated into one ECU.
[0100] In the embodiments described above, upon detection of an
impact due to the accident, the occupant protection ECU 30 in the
automatic report apparatus 4 of the automobile 10 collects accident
information and terminal information and transmits both to the
server apparatus 2.
[0101] Alternatively, for example, upon detection of an impact due
to the accident, under control of the occupant protection ECU 30 in
the automatic report apparatus 4 of the automobile 10, the accident
information and the terminal information may be transmitted
separately to the server apparatus 2. In FIG. 5, processing of
automatically reporting the accident information may be added
between step ST13 and step ST14. Even if the emergency information
is transmitted in a plurality of times separately, the server
apparatus 2 can associate the information on the basis of, for
example, identification information that is unique to each
automobile 10 included in the information. Furthermore, under
control of the occupant protection ECU 30, the accident information
can be transmitted as a first report of the accident as soon as the
accident is detected, without a delay due to the time for
collecting the terminal information. In addition, without
considering the delay of the first report, the occupant protection
ECU 30 can perform test communication for a plurality of mobile
terminals. After a staff member at the call center in which the
server apparatus 2 is provided has started to take action for the
accident on the basis of the first report, the occupant protection
ECU 30 enables transmission of information of the mobile terminals
of a plurality of occupants without a delay.
[0102] In the disclosure, emergency information is automatically
transmitted from a first communication apparatus to a server
apparatus at an emergency of a vehicle. The emergency information
includes, together with accident information about an accident of
the vehicle, contact information of a mobile terminal of an
occupant of the vehicle, such as a telephone number of the mobile
terminal of an occupant. Thus, a staff member or the like at a call
center can contact the occupant of the vehicle involved in the
accident, on the basis of the contact information of the mobile
terminal of the occupant, the contact information being included in
the emergency information received by the server apparatus. The
staff member or the like at the call center can directly check the
safety, injury state, or the like of the occupant. In addition, the
staff member or the like at the call center can estimate that an
occupant who does not answer the contact is likely to be injured
seriously.
[0103] In addition, in the disclosure, the staff member or the like
at the call center contacts, not the first communication apparatus
of the vehicle, but the mobile terminal of the occupant. Thus, even
if the occupant has evacuated to the outside from the vehicle
involved in the accident as emergency evacuation or the like, the
staff member or the like at the call center can contact the
occupant. In addition, on the basis of the contact information of
the mobile terminal, a rescue team that has rushed to the site can
also identify an occupant who does not answer. Furthermore, since
the emergency information from the first communication apparatus
includes the contact information of the mobile terminal of the
occupant, for example, the vehicle in which the occupant has been
present can be identified.
[0104] The control system 20 illustrated in FIG. 2 can be
implemented by circuitry including at least one semiconductor
integrated circuit such as at least one processor (e.g., a central
processing unit (CPU)), at least one application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC), and/or at least one field programmable
gate array (FPGA). At least one processor can be configured, by
reading instructions from at least one machine readable tangible
medium, to perform all or a part of functions of the control system
20 including the detection ECU 26, the external communication ECU
27, the internal communication ECU 28, and the occupant protection
ECU 30. Such a medium may take many forms, including, but not
limited to, any type of magnetic medium such as a hard disk, any
type of optical medium such as a CD and a DVD, any type of
semiconductor memory (i.e., semiconductor circuit) such as a
volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may
include a DRAM and a SRAM, and the non-volatile memory may include
a ROM and a NVRAM. The ASIC is an integrated circuit (IC)
customized to perform, and the FPGA is an integrated circuit
designed to be configured after manufacturing in order to perform,
all or a part of the functions of the modules illustrated in FIG.
2.
* * * * *